Canadian court quashes construction approvals for Trans Mountain

Steel pipe to be used in the oil pipeline construction of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain expansion project sit on rail cars at a stockpile site in Kamloops, B.C. (Dennis Owen/Reuters)

In a stunning blow, the Federal Court of Appeal has quashed the government’s approvals to build the Trans Mountain expansion project — a major victory for Indigenous groups and environmentalists opposed to the $7.4-billion project.

In the decision released Thursday, and written by Justice Eleanor Dawson, the court found the National Energy Board’s assessment of the project was so flawed that it should not have been relied on by the federal cabinet when it gave final approval to proceed in November 2016.

The certificate approving construction and operation of the project has been nullified, leaving the project in legal limbo until the energy regulator and the government reassess their approvals to satisfy the court’s demands.

In effect, the court has halted construction of the 1,150-kilometre project indefinitely.